Flour-sifting machine.



UNITED -sTATEs PATENT oFEioE.

EDWARD o. MAY, or .WATERTOWN, wIsooNsrN.

FLOUR-SIFTING- MACHINE.

To all 'whom t may conce/m Be it known that I, EDWARD C. MAY, af citizenof the United States, residing at` Watertown, in the county of Jeffersonand; State of Wisconsin, have invented new and; useful Improvements inFlour-Sifting Ma= chines, of which the following is a speciiicaf tion.

This invention provides a device for gen-2 eral use in which Hour, mealor the like may be stored and a quantity sifted when re-` quired for usein preparing food or for other purpose. l The invention relates moreparticularly. to the means whereby the sifter is supportedj and mountedto have a vibratory and jarring;y movement imparted thereto so as toprevent sticking of the flouraand insure passage ofE the same throughthe meshes of the screen. y The invention consists of the novelfeatures, details of construction and combination ofy parts, whichhereinafter will be more par-j ticularly set forth, illustrated in theaccompanying drawing, and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing, forming a part of the specification, Figure 1is a perspective view of a flour sifter embodying the invention. Fig. 2is a sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view, showing moreclearly the means for supporting the sifter.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription, and indicated in all the views of the drawing, by the samereference characters.

The appliance comprises a casing 1, the upper portion being partitionedto form a bin 2 in which is placed the flour, meal or the like forstorage. The lower portion of the casing is adapted to receive a drawerA, or other receptacle, for catching the flour or meal as the same issifted. The middle part of the casing contains the sifter and theoperating means. The partition 3 forms the bottom of the hopper andcomprises parts which slope to an opening from which depends a spout 4.A partition 5 separates the sifting compartment from the lower space vofthe casing and comprises parts which slope to a central opening throughwhich the iiour or meal escapes. Spiral agitators 6 and 7 are located inthe lower portion of the hopper and in the spout 4 and consist of flatstrips twisted into spiral form, the-one being right and the other left.The parts 6 and 7 serve to agitate the ma- Specification of LettersPatent.

Application led September 13, 1,911.

.delivery to the sifter.

Patented Apr. 30, 1912. Serial No. 649,104.

1 *terial and to insure a positive feed thereof through the spout 4 andat the same time to loosen and lighten the'material prior to its Theshafts of the agitators 6 and 7 are provided with sprocket wheels 8around which passes a sprocket chain 9 which makes connection with asprocket wheel 10 secured to a shaftll, which is mounted at its ends inopposite walls of the casing 1. A sprocket wheel 12 secured to an endofthe shaft 11 is connected by a sprocket chain 12a with a sprocketwheel 13 on the outer end of a shaft 14, which parallels the shaft 11and is'mounted in opposite walls of the casing 1. A crank 15A in thelength of the shaft 14 is connected by means of a pitman 17 with theframe 18 of the sifter. vStrips 19 are located upon the inner sides ofvopposite walls of the casing 1 and are formed in their upper sides withdownwardly flared recesses 20 in which operate bent ends 21 of bails 22,which support the frame 18 in a manner to admit of said frame having avibratory movement imparted thereto. The frame 18 is supplied with twobails 22 each formed of stout wire bent into substantially U form andhaving the end portions of their side members bent outwardly, asindicated at 28, to form journals which are mounted in strap irons 24applied to the strips 19, the outer ends of the journals 23 being bentto form the parts 21. There is a limited play between the pitman 15 andthe parts 15 and 18 to admit of the bent ends 2l of the bails strikingthe inclined walls of the recesses 20 so as to suddenly arrest themovement of the sieve in each direction, whereby a jar is produced toinsure positive delivery of the flour or meal through the meshes of thescreen. One or more screens are located within the frame 18 to effect asifting of the flour or meal in the operation of the device. The sifteris removable from the casing and is supported on the horizontal portionsof the bails 22 by notched lugs 25 attached to the, frame 18.

The flour or meal is stored in the compartment or bin 2 of the casingand when it is required to obtain a portion a receptacle is placed inthe lower part of the casing in line with the opening in the partition5, after which the shaft 11 is rot-ated by means of a crank 25 fittedthereto. The iour is positively fed and at the same time loosened andlightened by means `of the agitators 6 and 7. The flour received uponthe uppermost screen of the sieve is caused to pass through the sieve bythe vibratory movement imparted thereto, the discharge being facilitatedby the jarring motion imparted to the sieve by the bent ends 21 of thesuspending means striking the walls of the recesses 20.

It is to be understood that this invention provides a device for generaluse in which flour, meal or the like may be sifted when required for usein any Way.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto Which the invention appertains, and While I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together With the device whichI now consider to be the embodiment thereof, I desire to have itunderstood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that suchchanges may be made When desired as are Within the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

The device is intended chiefly for use by bakers and flour and feeddealers, since it provides a machine capable of storing flour or meal inbulk and admitting of a portion being sifted When required either tosupply the needs of a customer or for use by the possessor of themachine. It is to be understood, however, that the machine may beadapted for household use by constructing the same of proper andconvenient size.

Having thus described the invention What is claimed as new, is

l. In a flour sifter the combination of a frame provided Wit-h a screen,supports having flared recesses, suspending means for the frame havingjournals mounted upon the strips and having parts pendent from thejournals Which enter the flared recesses and engage opposite Wallsthereof to impart a jar to the sieve atlthe end of its movement in eachdirection, and means for imparting vibratory movement to the sieve.

2. A flour sifter comprising a frame, strips for supporting the framehaving flared recesses, bails of substantially U form supporting thesifter and having journals at the upper ends of their side members eX-tending over the recesses in the strips and supporting the screen, thejournals of the bails having pendent portions to enter the iiaredrecesses and engage With the Walls thereof, and means for imparting avibratory movement to the sifter.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

IEDVVARI) C. MAY.

Vitnesses:

S. E. HOLMES, O. C. I-IAHN.

Copies of this patent may be 'obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

